


Off Night

by SunGreen70



Category: Whose Line Is It Anyway? RPF
Genre: M/M, Pre-Whose Line
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-20
Updated: 2014-02-20
Packaged: 2018-01-13 04:43:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1213156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunGreen70/pseuds/SunGreen70
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone has an off night sometimes. Originally posted to LiveJournal, November 2012.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Off Night

_Shit._

Ryan gave the door a vicious shove as he stormed out into the cold evening air. But the ancient hinges were stiff, and instead of a satisfying slam it made a drawn out wheezing sound for the several seconds it took to close. Ryan glowered. He couldn’t even do a dramatic exit right.

Groping in his jacket pockets, he found his last cigarette and lit up, crumpling the empty pack tossing it in the general direction of the dumpster a few feet away. Dragging deeply, he leaned against the chilled brick wall and stared morosely at the wisps of smoke drifting towards the sky.

_Chill out_ , Ryan counseled himself. _You had an off night. So what?_ He exhaled sharply. So what? So when the off night happened on your third evening of performing improv with a troupe that paid you the best money you’d ever made, it didn’t do much to justify their having hired you. Raising his foot, Ryan banged his heel against the wall in frustration.

Beside him, the door made the same pained sound as someone pushed it open and came outside. Ryan tensed. He slid his eyes sideways towards the intruder, who moved briskly past him as though he weren’t there; a blur of plaid wool jacket.

Colin.

Ryan eyed him warily. Colin was the friggin’ _god_ of the League, the one the rest of them watched with a mixture of admiration and hatred. He got the biggest laughs from the audience and the most stage time of anyone. Deservedly so – Ryan had no quibble with that.

Colin stopped a few feet away from Ryan, arms wrapped around his midsection against the cold. The night breeze ruffled his thinning hair and exposed bare scalp, but he didn’t seem to notice. He stood quietly with his back to Ryan, looking through the chain link fence that surrounded the small patch of ground outside the stage door.

Ryan puffed silently. For three nights, he’d sat in his chair at the back of the stage, eyes glued to Colin as he commanded the room. He’d watched intently as Colin moved through his paces without missing a beat, keeping the crowd doubled over with laughter. Envy warred with anticipation inside of Ryan – he fervently wished that _he _was that good, and at the same time he longed for the chance to see if maybe he could be. And the handful of times that he had taken center stage, Ryan felt he’d come reasonably close to it. Improv was fairly new to him, but he’d thought he was doing okay. If only he hadn’t gone and blown it all to hell…__

__Colin seemed oblivious to Ryan’s presence, but Ryan had a feeling Colin knew he was there. He simply wasn’t worthy of acknowledgment - just a prop on Colin’s stage._ _

__Scowling, Ryan flicked the ash from his cigarette. But despite his annoyance, Colin intrigued him. It was because of Colin that Ryan was here at all. He’d been there that night at the club when Jim asked Ryan to audition. Though he’d hardly said a word, Ryan had gotten the distinct feeling that it was Colin making the decision even as Jim was presented as the one in charge. That impression of Colin being the real boss was furthered on the day of Ryan’s audition. He’d played against Colin onstage in front of Jim and the rest of the artistic directors. Played brilliantly, if he did say so – though he knew this was in large part due to having Colin’s skill to play off of - and yet none of the group he was trying to impress gave any hint of a reaction until Colin had smiled at him and then glanced over at the judging panel. It was then that the satisfied nods came from the directors, and it was then that Ryan knew he’d made it. The phone call the following afternoon came as no surprise. Colin’s approval had sealed his fate._ _

__Colin yawned and stretched his arms out behind him, turning halfway around in the process. Ryan dropped his eyes but Colin had already caught his gaze. He smiled as though only just noticing he was there._ _

__“Hey.”_ _

__Cigarette to his lips as he took another drag, Ryan bobbed his head in greeting. Colin must be wondering what the hell he and Jim had been thinking, inviting him to audition, Ryan reflected. Or maybe, he thought with a sinking feeling, maybe he had come out here to fire him._ _

__But when Colin spoke again, all he said was “Got another one of those?”_ _

__Ryan automatically reached into his pocket before remembering he was smoking his last cigarette. He hesitated, then held out the one in his hand. “Here.”_ _

__Colin looked startled, but he chuckled and accepted the offering. “Thanks.” He took a drag and passed it back to Ryan, a friendly smile on his face._ _

__“Coming to Duffy’s?”_ _

__Ryan shrugged. “Nah. Not tonight.”_ _

__“No? I thought you liked it.” Colin grinned. “Cheap Heineken.” He put his hand out for the cigarette. Ryan handed it over, suppressing a scowl. He knew Colin understood damn well why he wasn’t going. At the same time, he couldn’t help but notice that Colin was aware of what he’d been drinking the night before. He glanced at him curiously and saw that he was still waiting for an answer._ _

__Ryan let out an exasperated breath. “Because I fucked up tonight, okay? I don’t feel like celebrating that.”_ _

__Colin gave him a thoughtful look. Abruptly, he turned and started walking away. “Come on,” he said over his shoulder, clearly expecting Ryan to follow. Ryan hesitated, then caught up to Colin as he was squeezing through the narrow space where the fence adjoined the wall. Ryan followed suit, snagging the cuff of his denim jacket as he did so and making a small tear in the fabric. He swore under his breath. Was _everything_ going to go wrong tonight?_ _

__They walked through the deserted streets in silence, passing the cigarette back and forth. Colin didn’t seem to have a destination in mind, and Ryan found himself content to follow along, the quiet and the unhurried pace helping him to let go of his tension._ _

__Ryan hadn’t interacted much with Colin since his audition, until last night. Jim had called the two of them down on stage for a game of Forward/Reverse. They’d started off as Romeo and Juliet, making up ludicrously Shakespearean-sounding dialogue that had the audience in hysterics. The laughter spurred them both on and they began baiting each other with increasingly ridiculous cues. Finally, they swooped in for a “kiss”, only to have Jim shout “Reverse!” – immediately followed by “Forward!” as they backed away. Apparently deciding to see how long they could keep it up, Jim continued issuing the commands in rapid succession as they tirelessly swooped in and backed away, lips almost but not quite making contact, without ever breaking character. Finally, Jim let the scene continue, and Ryan had grabbed Colin’s face in his hands, stared intently into his eyes for a long moment, then gasped “Thy poison! It worketh its cruel deed!” and collapsed in a heap on the stage. The audience roared, and Colin had grinned and helped him to his feet as the buzzer ended the game._ _

__The connection between himself and Colin had been so powerful, Ryan recalled wistfully. He couldn’t have been the only one who’d felt it. But maybe it was all one-sided. Perhaps it was all Colin’s energy that he was absorbing, rather than contributing anything himself. He sighed and hunched deeper into his jacket against the cold._ _

__They came to a halt in front of a bar. “Buy you a beer?” Colin offered, taking a last drag from the worn-down cigarette butt. He dropped it on the sidewalk and crushed it under his foot._ _

__Ryan nodded. He pushed open the heavy glass door and led the way inside, sliding into a booth as Colin fetched two Heinekens. Ryan drank from his gratefully. Now that they were facing each other across the small space, the easy companionship of their walk dissipated, and the silence was awkward. For Ryan, anyway. Colin appeared unruffled as always, sipping at his beer while looking around at the handful of people scattered among the tables and booths._ _

__Ryan shifted on the cracked vinyl seat, tongue tied. What could he talk about that Colin could possibly find interesting? Hell, after the performance he’d given tonight, he didn’t deserve to be sharing the same stage with him, let alone taking up his free time. With one finger, he traced the damp ring that his beer bottle had left on the Formica table top and cast about for something to say. But Colin spoke first, turning back to Ryan after his inspection of their surroundings._ _

__“Tough night tonight, huh?”_ _

__Ryan cringed. Here it was… now Colin was going to rip him a new one for being such a colossal failure onstage. He sighed. “Sorry,” he mumbled._ _

__Colin looked amused. “Why are you apologizing?”_ _

__Ryan glanced at him over his beer. Good question. If he’d been talking to anyone else, he wouldn’t have. “Because… I don’t know. Because I blew it.”_ _

__Colin shrugged. “You had an off night. So what? It happens.” The words were so similar to Ryan’s own internal monologue earlier in the evening that he smiled a little, even as he sighed._ _

__“Yeah… but if it happens too often, you’re screwed.”_ _

__“It happened once. Relax. Believe me, every time I have an off night, I think I’m finished. That I’m a talentless hack and anything good I ever did onstage was just a fluke.”_ _

__Exactly what Ryan had been thinking. He looked at Colin curiously. “I can’t see _you_ ever having an off night.”_ _

__Colin raised his eyebrows as he picked up his beer._ _

__“Really? Why not?”_ _

__Ryan shrugged. “You’re the best one in the whole damn league,” he replied. Colin didn’t try to deny it, which Ryan liked. What would be the point of false modesty? Instead, he simply regarded Ryan thoughtfully._ _

__“Maybe not anymore,” he said finally._ _

__Ryan had looked down at his beer, but jerked his head up at Colin’s words. “What? Me?” He scoffed. “No way.”_ _

__“You’re really good, you know. When you don’t freeze like a deer in the headlights,” Colin added, with such a disarming grin that Ryan had to smile back, despite the color rising to his cheeks. “We’re good together, too,” Colin continued._ _

__Ryan eyed Colin curiously. So he _had_ felt it?_ _

__As though reading Ryan’s thoughts, Colin nodded slowly. “Look at how well the scenes we’ve played have gone. That Forward/Reverse game we did last night – it was the high point of the show, you know. Even at your audition – there was something there too.”_ _

__It was Ryan’s turn to nod. “Yeah,” he said. “I felt it.”_ _

__Colin grew silent, studying him thoughtfully for a long moment before he spoke again._ _

__“I was thinking,” he said, “that we would make a good team.”_ _

__Ryan was confused for a moment. “A team?”_ _

__“You know… a comedy team. Like Rowan and Martin… Belushi and Ackroyd…”_ _

__“Cheech and Chong?” Ryan suggested._ _

__Colin laughed. Ryan grinned back, feeling himself relax._ _

__“Exactly,” Colin agreed. He took a swallow of his beer and went on. “We’re both good, on our own. Either one of us could go places - maybe,” he qualified. “It’s tough, no matter how talented we are. No guarantees. But together… we’re something else.” He set down his bottle with a thunk and leaned across the table. His eyes bored into Ryan’s with a look of determination that both startled and impressed him._ _

__“What we have together – that doesn’t happen often. I think we should use it. See where it goes.”_ _

__“Okay,” Ryan said cautiously. “But how do we do that?”_ _

__“We’ll get Jim to pair us up more often. He was all ready to do that anyway after last night.”_ _

__That was something Ryan hadn’t known. There had been no interaction between himself and Colin during tonight’s show at all._ _

__“…but then I put a stop to that idea tonight,” he concluded ruefully._ _

__Colin waved a hand dismissively. “Never mind tonight. One off night doesn’t matter. Jim knows that. We’ll get our chance at the next show.”_ _

__Ryan had purposely been avoiding thinking about the next show – if he even got one. Colin didn’t seem to think that would be an issue, though. Ryan drew in a deep breath._ _

__“Okay,” he said, “But…what if I fuck up again like I did tonight?”_ _

__“Then I’ll kill you in your sleep,” Colin replied calmly, as Ryan nearly choked on his beer. He met Colin’s gaze and saw the twinkle in his brown eyes. “So, do we have a deal?”_ _

__Meeting Colin’s gaze, Ryan felt a thrill of anticipation swelling up inside him. “Okay,” he said again. “We have a deal.”_ _

__They grinned at each other across the table. Then Colin sat back, picking up his beer. The intensity that Ryan had seen in his expression was gone and he seemed much less intimidating as he inquired “You catch the game the other night?”_ _

__******_ _

__It was a few hours later when Ryan and Colin left the bar. Ryan marveled at how quickly the rest of the evening had gone, and how much better he felt. He’d do better tomorrow. Colin was confident of that, and it made Ryan confident too._ _

__Heading back out into the cold air, Ryan pulled up his jacket collar and glanced at Colin beside him. It was amazing how much his impression of him had changed in such a short time. At the start of the evening, Ryan had been awed by Colin – a bit intimidated by him too, he acknowledged to himself. But now, Colin seemed like just a regular guy, surprisingly easy to talk to. Now, Colin felt like a friend._ _

__As they approached the theater, Colin suddenly stopped, nudging Ryan’s shoulder. “Look.”_ _

__Ryan followed Colin’s gaze to the front window, where a poster announced a special appearance by one of the Vancouver TheaterSports League’s alumni, now a well-known comedian and a member of Second City Toronto. It hadn’t taken Ryan more than a few hours in the League to learn that Second City was generally regarded as the holy land among improv performers. He had already begun fantasizing about auditioning there._ _

__Ryan gazed at the poster with wistful admiration, then glanced at Colin. He too was studying the poster, with that look of intense determination he’d had while discussing his career plans with Ryan. Feeling Ryan’s eyes on him, Colin looked up._ _

__“That’ll be us,” he said._ _

__“Yeah, maybe someday,” Ryan agreed._ _

__“It will.” Colin’s voice was definitive._ _

__Ryan chuckled. “Yeah? You a psychic or something?”_ _

__“No,” Colin replied, meeting Ryan’s eyes. Ryan was startled by his expression. Before he could quite work out what it meant, Colin took a step closer to him, so that they were nearly touching. “I just know what I want.”_ _

__Ryan blinked into Colin’s face, so close to his own that he could smell the Heineken on Colin’s warm breath. Before he could reply, Colin’s hands came up to rest on his shoulders. His mouth covered Ryan’s, gently at first, then with increased urgency as his hands pressed against Ryan until Ryan’s back was against the theater wall._ _

__Startled, Ryan could only lean motionless against the chilled brick, his mouth stiff under Colin’s. Then slowly, his lips parted as of their own accord. He straightened up, and then suddenly he grabbed the scratchy wool sleeves of Colin’s jacket and pulled him in closer, returning the kiss with the intensity of a man who also knew what he wanted._ _

__******_ _

__Ryan opened his eyes and gave a start at his unfamiliar surroundings. Confusion was followed a second later by remembering, and he raised himself up on his elbow to peer over his shoulder. Beside him, Colin lay tangled in the sheets, one bare foot dangling over the end of the bed. Ryan carefully turned on his side to study the sleeping form more closely, marveling at the many sides of this man he’d glimpsed tonight. The incredible talent… the steel core of determination… the down to earth friendliness… the passion._ _

__And then, after they’d fallen into Colin’s bed in a tangle of lips and limbs, he’d seen the tender side – a Colin who’d touched him with gentle hands and gazed at him with a vulnerable, longing expression that made Ryan pull him in closer, with equal tenderness._ _

__Ryan suspected that there were many more sides to Colin as well. He was looking forward to discovering them all._ _

__He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice Colin had opened his eyes and was studying him just as closely, until Colin spoke, startling him._ _

__“Feeling better about last night?”_ _

__Ryan chuckled. “You could say that.”_ _

__Colin grinned and sat up. “Good.” He slipped his hand behind Ryan’s head and drew him in for a long, lingering kiss that left Ryan breathless._ _

__“There’s just one thing I’m worried about,” Colin murmured, his mouth still against Ryan’s._ _

__Ryan drew back a little. “What’s that?” he asked anxiously._ _

__Colin reached for him again._ _

__“What are we going to do for an encore?”_ _


End file.
